A short news item, telling of a local funeral and of her adopted daughter Mary's wedding.
Both these events are described more fully in her letter to Mr Charles Partridge (Letter No. 63, dated 15th October 1909) and Mary's wedding is again mentioned in Letter 64 dated 9th December 1909.
From the Women’s Missionary Magazine, January 1910?
MISS SLESSOR in a recent letter, gives the following glimpse of progress at Use:
“Things progress slowly, but I think surely here. Our old chief has died, and instead of a week of drinking and flogging, the town was quiet, but for the mourning women, and the *Egbo*(Note) drum for one night. Most of the male members of the chief’s house are Christians, and they came to ask what they should do in regard to the funeral – the drink, and the goat sacrifice, etc., and all were firm for the right. The wife, who is left, is a candidate for baptism, and they asked about her and the time of mourning; she will not be prohibited from coming to Church, even on the first Sabbath, so I thank God and take courage.” After telling of the wedding of Mary, one of the many rescued twins she has protected and mothered, Miss Slessor continues: “So our girlie has gone out to a new life, but David, who is the motor driver on the Government staff, is a Christian lad, and I am pleased to give her to him. He lives as we do, and alone, not in a compound as the people here do. I trust Mary will be good and faithfu… Before they left David came and said, ‘Mother, you won’t let us go without prayer,’ and down he knelt; so we gave them to god, and had a solemn time together.”
Editorial Note: “Egbo” – the name of the main Calabar secret society